Breaking tradition, for the first time Australian Musician has decided to crown not one but two musicians as our September Musicians of the Month. After all the musical pair are inseparable. Dave Graney and Clare Moore spoke with Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips about their new album Laburnum of the Mind, its spontaneous creation, the equipment behind its sound, and their experiences touring together. Photos by Jason Rosewarne.
MORE ABOUT THE INTERVIEW
The album marked their return to vinyl after years of preferring CDs. Their interest in the format grew after Magnetic South reissued Dave Graney and the Coral Snakes’ Night of the Wolverine in 2023. Although they acknowledge vinyl’s sonic appeal, they are particularly drawn to its physicality and potential for large-format artwork.
Laburnum of the Mind takes its name from Laburnum railway station on Melbourne’s Belgrave line, an inconspicuous stop that amused Graney after he overheard a passenger questioning whether anyone lived there. The album itself emerged almost accidentally. When Soundpark Studios appeared likely to close, Graney and Moore hurried in and recorded nine or ten songs in a single day using only guitar and drums. The studio ultimately remained open, allowing them to return and develop the recordings with keyboards and additional textures.
Dave describes Soundpark as a “distressed”, characterful space filled with excellent vintage equipment. Its owner Idge, a drummer, keeps an old Ludwig kit permanently set up, enabling the musicians to capture strong sounds quickly. Moore values the familiar drum kit and recording environment, while both prefer the studio’s lived-in atmosphere to a polished or impersonal facility.
Several songs grew from playful ideas. “Hits Are the Worst” reflects Graney’s belief that a major hit can trap artists into repeating themselves. He cites Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” and the career arc of Mental as Anything as examples of success narrowing how a band is perceived. “Half the Bastard” originated in a joking conversation with the late Conway Savage and looks back at the hard-boiled attitudes Graney and his peers adopted as young men. Its arrangement is built around a simple guitar figure, groove and prominent cowbell.
The title track was assembled quickly at home from a drum loop and an accidentally discovered guitar shape. Graney completed the basis of the song in around two hours, after which Moore added keyboards. Their cat also appears on the recording after jumping on the piano and knocking objects over; the resulting noise was retained as an improvised “solo.”
Clare discusses using Mellotron-style sounds from an inexpensive app, alongside the pair’s long-serving Ensoniq MR-61 keyboard. Much of their technology dates from the late 1990s, when computer-based recording was expensive but exciting. Rather than constantly updating their equipment, they continue using older instruments whose sounds and functions remain useful.
For the accompanying tour, Graney and Moore returned to a four-piece rock-band format with guitarist Stu Perera and bassist Stu Thomas. Graney travelled with one guitar, a compact speaker cabinet and small Vox MV50 amplifier. His effects setup includes fuzz, distortion, delay and a JangleBox compressor, designed to provide a dependable sound while he sings and plays. Moore used reduced-size drum kits where possible, including a compact Sonor cocktail kit for a regional show where space and transport were limited.
Their recent touring has increasingly taken them to regional venues in New South Wales and Queensland. They connect this development partly to audiences moving away from increasingly unaffordable cities. Such venues often have limited equipment or space, requiring the band to travel lightly and adapt its presentation without sacrificing the music.
Moore also explains the challenges of performing and recording vibraphone. Live engineers sometimes place microphones underneath the instrument, despite most of its sound projecting upward. Close overhead positioning works better, but putting vibraphone through stage monitors often creates feedback. In the studio, Soundpark typically captures it with two crossed overhead microphones. Graney and Moore prefer the instrument to be either prominent and enveloping or used as an atmospheric texture, filling a role similar to strings or pedal steel.
We also looked back a little at the pair’s international history. During a 1980s visit to New York, promoter Ruth Polsky booked them for two shows at Danceteria. While soundchecking, they were asked to keep quiet because Desperately Seeking Susan was being filmed on the roof with Madonna. Their American trip also included Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Graney remembers Polsky as an influential figure who connected many British post-punk acts with New York audiences.
Graney also recalls recently participating in a Tom Waits tribute production alongside singers including Hugo Race, Peter Fenton and Richie Lewis. He focused on songs from Waits’ earlier Los Angeles period and praises the Sydney-based musicians for their discipline and ability to assemble the show quickly.
We concluded with a reflection on Melbourne community radio station Triple R, currently at the tail end of their fundraisng Radiothon. Since Graney and Moore arrived in Melbourne around 1980, the station has consistently supported their music. They credit community radio with airing demos, recording concerts, nurturing comedians and broadcasters, preserving important live archives, and serving as a training ground for producers and technicians who later moved into Australian radio and television.
The interview portrays Laburnum of the Mind as an intuitive, resourceful record shaped by accident, familiar equipment and decades of collaboration. Graney and Moore’s approach remains grounded in groove, spontaneity and adaptability, whether they are recording in a distressed old studio, transporting compact gear to regional venues or finding musical value in the unexpected sound of their cat knocking things over.
BANDCAMP: https://davegraney1.bandcamp.com/album/dave-graney-clare-moore-in-a-mistly
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/davegraneymusic
UPCOMING GIGS
Friday Sept 11th Baroque Room, Carrington , Katoomba NSW
https://events.humanitix.com/fbdavegraneyclaremoore26
Saturday Sept 12th – afternoon show – Brass Monkey, Cronulla NSW
https://tickets.oztix.com.au/outlet/event/53457deb-4c2d-4e88-ba25-4aa0fcfc8494
Sunday Sept 13th, Finding Fillmores, Kiama NSW
https://events.humanitix.com/dave-graney-and-the-mistly
Saturday Sept 19th, Railway Club, Darwin NT
https://www.stickytickets.com.au/furj6z/dave_graney__clare_moore.aspx